Bulldogs and Roberts saved by Bennett

The Bulldogs and Ben Roberts must be thanking their lucky stars. The timing of the Wayne Bennett announcement has virtually lifted them from the front page of every media outlet on the east coast of Australia.

As the dust begins to settle on the Ben Roberts bashing in Wollongong; more news is surfacing as to the events of the night at the Glasshouse nightclub. According to reports from the Bulldogs camp, Roberts was attacked by employees of the Glasshouse after initially refusing to leave the premises when drunk.

Witnesses have said Roberts and his party were partially intoxicated, however weren’t particularly disturbing the peace at the popular nightspot. When security has tried to usher Roberts on, he has apparently got into a heated exchange with the employees and they are alleged to have taken him outside and beaten him severely.

Bulldogs teammate Lee Te Maari was apparently thrown into the fray when he felt his mate was being bashed senseless. Upon trying to stop the melee, Te Maari apparently copped some treatment for his interruption.

If events had played out this way, Roberts made a bad mistake in returning to the scene of the crime. It looks bad enough as it is, however his continuation of the events have certainly put him in hot water and regardless of how the Bulldogs or anyone try to spin this, drunk footballers will always be a target in situations such as this. Surely with so many previous instances of trouble, not only from the Bulldogs but from many other clubs – can’t players keep out of the spotlight?

It’s been suggested here at NRL News previously, that players who want a big night out should possibly pay the inexpensive air fare and fly to Melbourne or Adelaide for the night. It might sound extreme, but for less than an hour flying time and the price of a night on the town – they can party in peace and safety. However after David Fa’logo somehow found trouble on the other side of the world – maybe no where is safe.

At least this time, the Bulldogs have found themselves lucky to escape the headlines so quick. But for a club they call Dogs of War; after recent off-field events such as the Salary Cap Affair, the Rape Case, Supporter Rioting, the SBW Toilet Saga, the SBW Drink Drive, the Reni Matuia Drink Drive and thousands of big Willie cases from drugs to ADD – they should really be called the Homebush Houdini’s – because they are amazingly still able to dodge bullets on a weekly basis.